Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Awards

Will Moreau Goins has dedicated his life to preserving, presenting and performing Native American music traditions, beadwork and storytelling. He weaves the ancient past, mythology and the present with dramatic narratives and song.

He inherited his artistic inclinations from his family members, matriarchs and those who continued the traditions of his ancestors. The son of Cherokee artist Elsie Taylor Goins, he traces his musical heritage back to the ancient chants of the indigenous cultures of the Southeast. As a teenager, Goins was already teaching younger children and exposing them to a wide variety of Cherokee art forms, including beadwork, a tradition passed down to him by his great aunt, Corrie Sisney.

Forch Allen, Goins' great-great-grandfather, was a medicine man in Oconee County and practiced along the Tugaloo River. Forch's son, Alexander Allen, was also a medicine man who practiced throughout the Smoky Mountains and was referred to as "Doctor" in United States census records. Focusing on contemporary medicine men, Goins traveled throughout the Southeastern United States collecting and documenting data regarding medical practices among a variety of Native American tribes. 

He has worked with Native American people, organizations and agencies for over 30 years and has an integral role with the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina Inc. This non-profit organization is "dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of South Carolina Native American history, culture, and heritage."

For years, Goins has been passionately involved with the American Indian Educational Program, working specifically with K-12 students. He is presently a part of the Humanities Council SC Speaker's Bureau and currently serves as the president of the S.C. Traditional Arts Network. In addition to song, storytelling and beadwork, Goins leads the Cultural Arts Ensemble, a dance troupe that travels the region to perform Native American ceremonial dances, including the "Stomp" and "Round" dances.